News

2010-08-18 08:42:27.237

Camp Can Wait - Kansas Mom Wins $10,542 On Way to Pick Up Son

An Edwardsville, Kan., woman joked that she was "just hoping to win enough to pay for lunch" when she stopped for a sandwich on Aug. 13. Connie Vandenberg, 51, ended up with more than enough to cover the tab at Casa Blanca, 1312 Bagnall Dam, in Lake Ozark.

Vandenberg was on her way to pick up her son from summer camp at the time of her $10,542 Missouri Lottery Club Keno win. Her mother, Karen Belknap of Sunrise Beach, and ex-husband, Louis Vandenberg of Greenview, were also along for the ride.

"He’s on hold right now!" she said with a laugh, referring to when she called her son’s camp to inform the counselors she was running late.

"We went to eat first before picking him up and played a little Keno while we had a sandwich," she explained.

That all happened 45 minutes before Vandenberg and company drove to the Jefferson City Lottery office to claim the prize.

"We just flew here!" she admitted.

Belknap said her daughter "always wins" when they play Club Keno together. Last week, she "won $18 and paid for lunch."

As for her most recent win, Vandenberg "got excited" as soon as she saw the numbers. She knew right away that she had won something big, because she’s been playing the same numbers for more than 10 years. Her "lucky numbers" are a combination of family birthdays, anniversaries and graduation years.

When asked how she will spend the prize money, she emphatically said she will "take these guys to dinner," referring to her mother and ex-husband. Additionally, she’ll "maybe go somewhere," but she is undecided on a vacation destination.

What’s next for Vandenberg? She will "go get my son from camp!"

Vandenberg’s ex-husband added that "it couldn’t have happened to a better person."

She summed up her win by saying, "$10,542 is pretty nice. It’s a lot to get happy about!"

To play Club Keno, players can choose how many different numbers (also called "spots") they want to play from 1 to 10. Twenty numbers from a field of 1-80 are chosen in a computerized random Club Keno drawing held every four minutes.